Fastener for curtains or the like



Gr OLSON.

FASTENER FOR CURTAINS OR THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 14. 1920.

1,402,951. Patented Jan. 10, 1922 Y '5- a I GUSTAV OLSON, OF l-IASTIHGS-ON-H'UDSON, NEW YORK.

FASTENEB, FGR'CURTAINS OR THE LIKE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV OLsoN, a subiect of the King of Sweden, residlng at fastings-on-Hudson. in the county of Vi estchester and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fasteners for Curtains or the like, of which the following is a specification. v

The invention is a fastener for uniting together carriage or automobile curtains, straps, belts, articles of apparel, or any other thin flexible objects for which detachable connection is desired.

The problems here solvedare many. One was to construct fasteners which can be produced cheaply in large numbers, and so made that each fastener while wholly independent in itself can nevertheless be connected to every other similar fastener. In other words, considering two interchangeable fasteners united to two separate curtains, for

example, so that either may be used as the holder for the other fastener.

Another problem was to organize said fasteners so that when connected to practically any number of curtains, for example, all of these curtainsmay be united oneto the other in series; that is, curtain No. 2 unitedto curtain No. 1, curtain No. 3 to curtain No. 2, curtain No. 4: to curtain No. 3, and so on in definitely. Another problem was to construct each fastener so that by the pressure of a button it would be made ready to engage its associated fastener, and upon the release of said pressure caused to engageit.

Another problem was to construct each fastener so that when two were to be released, the pressure on the above-mentioned button would cause them to fall apart with out necessarily any other manual manipulation.

Another problem was to make these fasteners not merely independent of one another as structures, but so-as not to require any third device to join them together when a number of them are connected in series. That is to say, to make each fastener so that it unites only with the next adjacent fastener, and not with some bondofunion common to all. All of these problems are solved in my present device. A user may buy a thousand or more of these fasteners 3.110 know that every one is connectible to every other one :-that he can join by means of them many separate curtains; that there is no danger of tearing curtains in trying to pull Specification of LcttersPatentt shown at E.

circumferential edge with two Patented Jan. 10,1922." mo. Serial No. 381,232.

the fasteners apart; that it is not necessary to buy separate buttons and separate holders, because the present device serves both functions, as described.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 shows the parts of my fastener in perspective and separately. Fig. 2 shows partly in elevation and partly in transverse section, the parts A, B, C, D of Fig. 1 as sembl ed and ready for attachment to the curtain, and rear washer. Inthis figure the button B is in normal position as pushed out by its spring. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3, 3 of Fig. e, the button B being here in depressed position. Fig. ,4 is a section on the line 4:, 4 of Fig. 3, with the button B here in the same position as in Fig. 2. Said figure also shows in dotted lines a number of my fasteners engaging serially with one another. Fig. 5 is a top view of my fastener. Fig. 6 shows separately the spring 0, and illustrates by dotted lines the sumed thereby under expansion by button B. Fig. 7 shows in section a form of fixed button, with which my fastener may be caused to engage.

Similar letters and numbers of refer- I ence indicate like parts.

My fastener, here generally designated C, D and F, as shownin Fig. 1. The cur tain, to which the device is attached, is A is a circular metal casing, on the flange 5 of which are integrally formed tongues 6,.7, the tongues 7 being longer than and alternating with the tongues 6. In said casing is a central opening having a flange 8. B is a button slidably fitting in said central opening and having a shoulder Qbearing against said casing. In the portion of said button protruding beyond flange 8 is a groove 10. The inner end of the button is recessed and provided on its downwardly extending tongues 11, 12. C is a leafspring having a curved U-shaped slot elliptical opening 14 between the arms of said U-shaped slot, and two slots, one of which, 15, communicates with the middle portion of said U-shaped slot, and the other, 16, extends between the arms of said position as- 13, a central Ushaped slot through the edge of the plate.

back plate D, and

central openingyand slots'21 near theedge to receive the tongues 7. s

The device is assembled as follows: .Upon the curtain K is placed, first,-the then the spring plate C. The button B is applied to the spring plate 0, with its tongues 11, 12 passing-through the central opening 14 therein, and. also entering the recesses 20 inplate D. The edge '26 of the jblllTtOllOIl each side and between the tongues 11, 12 bears on the part of the spring plate adjacent to the opening 14. The tongues 11, 12 serve both as guides for the button and to prevent lateral displacement of the spring C. The casing A. is placed upon the button B, and the short tongues 6 thereon are passed through the slots 18 in plate and bent over, as shown in Fig. 2. The parts A, B, C, D are now secured together and ready for application to the curtainE. This is done by passing the tongues T through the slots 17 in plate D, through the material of the curtain, and through theslots..2.1 in washer F, on the rear side of which they are bent over, as shown in Fig. 3. I

lMy fastener is used to connect the curtain, to which it is attached as described,

[to a second curtain in the following way:

Tosaid second curtain G, Fig. 4,1 may aply another of my fasteners, generally indicated by the dotted lines at X in Fig. 4. To apply fastener V to fastener X, the buttonB of fastener W is first. pushed inwardly from the position shown ii -Fig. '2 to that shown in Fig. 3. The edge 26 of the button, because it bears on the portionof the'spring plate C immediately around the middle opening 14 therein, inwardly bends said spring and causes said opening jto expand,

as indicated by the dotted linesin Fig. 6,

' the slots insaid spring permitting of, this expansion. 'This .allows the .button of fastener .X zto' pass through said opening 14 and enter the space between the tongues 11,

. 12, until its, groove 10 registers with the edges ofisaid opening; Thebutton B of fastener "W then being released by the operator, is

moved back to normal position by the re-- siliency 'of the spring G, and at the same time, the saidedges of the spring 'opening 14 engagein said groove10,-and so lock thetwo .afasteners together. To release fastener W w from fastener X, it is merely necessary to push in again'the button B of fastener W,

which :once more expands the opening 14' ;1n ;;spring 'C and. allowsthe button-of fastener, to, drop out. "It'is to be particularly 1 znotedrhe'reuthat the simplepressure of the button fastener W allows of the insertion of thebutton of fastener X, and its release accomplishes the locking. of fasteners W and X together. And that the simple pres- Stireof thesame button is all that is necessary to cause the fasteners W and X to come apart. No manual pulling apart need take placeV E-ven-ifthe fasteners be applied to other fastener Z on a separate curtain-J,

and in briefpractically any number of ourtains or other objects,to each of which'my fasteneris applied, may be united oneupon or to the other in series. Fiach fastener is exactly like every other fastener. Each is applied to its own curtain separately, and wherever desired to register with th one with which it is to connect. There is no connection whatever between the several fas-- teners other than the button of one releasably entering the other. They have no common support extending between or uniting them, such as a pin, for example, extending through all and towhich each is con-p nected. The same pressure'uponthe button of the fastener W which opensthe spring to release the button of the fastener X also pushes the first fastener away from'thesec- 0nd, thus facilitating the release;

Instead of using one of my fasteners as i the holding device to which'theconnected fastener is,-or a series of fasteners are, at tached, I mayuse a simple fixed button such as shown in Fig. here made of dimensions to enter and become .engagedin on'eiof my fasteners, and provided with a groove 22, similar to groove 10, a shoulderto bear upon the curtain 24,

- and tongues 23 passing through the curtain and bent over after passing-through slots-in a rear washer 25.

I claim: 7 V

1. Fastening means for a pluralityof curtains orthe like, comprising a plurality of fasteners, each comprising a-casing,-.a lock therein, .and external means for operating said lock disposed on one side of saidcasing; the :said lock operating means of reach casing entering the-next adjacent casing at the side opposite the lock operatin means thereof and being engaged by sai lock therein.

2. Fastening meansfor a plurality of curtains or the like, comprising a series of 3.81 teners, each comprising arcasing, a;1ock

therein, and means for operatingsaid lock; the operating means of each fastener of the 7. The' button proper :K'is 1 series engaging with the lock of the next adjacent fastener.

3. Fastening means for a plurality of curtains or th like, comprising a plurality of fasteners respectively attached to said curtains, each fastener comprising a casing, a look within said casing, and a slidable press button entering said casing and controlling said lock; the press button of each fastener being constructed to enter the casing of any other of said fasteners and to be engaged by the lock therein. I

4. Fastening means for a plurality of cur tains or the like, comprising a plurality of fasteners, each comprising a casing, a lock therein, and external means for operating said lock; the said lock operating means of each fastener being constructed to enter the casing of any other of said fasteners and to be engaged by the lock therein.

5. A fastener for curtains or the like, comprising a casing, an annular back plate, a slotted leaf spring within said casing and having a central opening, a but-ton slidable in said casing and bearing on the surface of said spring adjacent to said opening, guide tongues on said button entering said spring opening and said annular back plate, and means for uniting said casing and said back plate.

6. A fastener for curtains or the like, comprising a casing, an annular back plate having recesses in its inner edge, a slotted leaf spring within said casing and having a central opening, a button slidable in said cas ing having a cup-shaped recess in its inner end, and guide tongues on the circumferential edge of said recess extending through the central opening in said spring and the recesses in said back plate openin and means for uniting said casing and said back plate.

7. A fastener for curtains or the like, comprising a casing, an annular back plate, a leaf spring within said casing having a U- shaped slot, a central opening between the arms of said U-shaped slot, and two slots, one of which connects said opening with the middle portion of said U slot and the other extends between the arms of said U slot through the edge of the spring, a button slidable in said casing and bearing at its inner end upon the surface of said spring adjacent to said middle slot, and means for uniting said casing and said back plate.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUSTAV OLSON. Witnesses GERTRUDE T. PORTER, MAY T. McGAnnY. 

